Christophe Grandsire wrote:
>
> Another idiom that mystified me for years was "to kick
> the bucket". I only learned the meaning of this idiom a
> year ago, after more than 10 years of English classes...
Yes, English is filled with these.
George kicked the pail = George kicked the pail.
George kicked the bucket = George died.
George bought the ranch = George bought the ranch.
George bought the farm = George died.
I read somewhere that in Croatian, "George is smelling
the grass from the roots" = "George died."
--Ph.D.